Sent with the Spirit of God
Sent with the Spirit of God
- Greg Waybright
- Acts 2:1
- The Breakthrough
- 44 mins 40 secs
- Views: 1031
Pastor's Letter
Sent with the Spirit of God - Week 3
I’ve grown up in a world in which I have constantly been told that people can do anything they set their minds to accomplish. For me personally, this way of thinking may have all started with the children’s book entitled The Little Engine That Could. You surely know the story: A stranded train is unable to find an engine willing to take it over a difficult terrain to its destination. Only a little blue engine is willing to try and, while repeating the mantra “I think I can, I think I can,” the engine overcomes a seemingly impossible task. As a boy, the takeaway I derived from the story was that there is no limit to what we can do when we combine a vision for something with a passion for it and—of course—with hard work.
I’ve grown up in a world in which I have constantly been told that people can do anything they set their minds to accomplish. For me personally, this way of thinking may have all started with the children’s book entitled The Little Engine That Could. You surely know the story: A stranded train is unable to find an engine willing to take it over a difficult terrain to its destination. Only a little blue engine is willing to try and, while repeating the mantra “I think I can, I think I can,” the engine overcomes a seemingly impossible task. As a boy, the takeaway I derived from the story was that there is no limit to what we can do when we combine a vision for something with a passion for it and—of course—with hard work.
This lesson is at the heart of “the American Dream.” For generations, people have immigrated to America because they felt boxed in and limited by the constraints of their own cultures. In my years of travel, I’ve heard the longing in the words of people who have asked, “Is it still possible in America to earn any degree, obtain any job, and become whatever you want to be?” In my view, there is something beautiful about that dream. The Bible tells us that we are made in God’s image and therefore can attain marvelous goals. The Book of Proverbs calls us to make plans and work hard to attain them. To live in a society in which we have the freedom to pursue goals is a wonderful gift that we should celebrate and protect.
However, this dream also has dangers. One danger is that it can lead to unrealistic aspirations. I remember the day when I came to the realization that as a 5′9″, 130-pound high school kid, I would not be able to become our state championship football team’s starting defensive tackle no matter how many times I might say, “I think I can, I think I can.”
But today, we will see that the greatest danger in this American Dream is that we can easily drift into embracing the idea that the most important asset we have is our own ability. The dream can lead us to place ultimate trust in ourselves. Then, we go to church and hear the words of Jesus saying, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”
Today, we will seek to learn that eternal things happen when the Spirit of God works in and through us. We will see how a group of timid people who one day were cowering in an upper room were transformed into people who turned the world upside down. The beginning point was when they gave up saying, “I think I can.” And they said instead, “We can do all things through the One who gives us strength” (Phil. 4:13).
To His Glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Study Notes
Sent with the Spirit of God - Week 3 - Study Notes
Study Notes available in English and Chinese translations.
The big day everyone had been waiting for happened on Pentecost. Pentecost was the day the people of Israel had celebrated the birth of their nation for centuries. But this Pentecost that took place 7 weeks after Jesus' resurrection was going to be different. It wouldn't just be the celebration of a nation's birthday but would be the birthday of a whole new people, i.e., one people of God from every tribe, language and nation knit together by faith in Jesus. We read about it in Acts 1-2.
English
Sent with the spirit of God
Acts 2:1-13
The big day everyone had been waiting for happened on Pentecost. Pentecost was the day the people of Israel had celebrated the birth of their nation for centuries. But this Pentecost that took place 7 weeks after Jesus' resurrection was going to be different. It wouldn't just be the celebration of a nation's birthday but would be the birthday of a whole new people, i.e., one people of God from every tribe, language and nation knit together by faith in Jesus. We read about it in Acts 1-2.
So, to begin, I want you to imagine being there with the disciples as Acts 2 opens. They were in a house, perhaps the same upper room in which they had shared their final communion with Jesus. Jesus had told them just over a week before that they soon would become witnesses to his salvation in a movement that would ultimately reach "the ends of the earth (1:8)." But he had also commanded them to wait together until the Holy Spirit came before going out into the world as his witnesses. This waiting must have been hard for some of them. After all, they had just been with Jesus – whom they had seen dying but now risen. I'm sure some of them wanted to get out and tell people about this immediately. Think of some of the personalities involved. I don't think waiting was easy for the impetuous Peter or even for those "Sons of Thunder" named James and John to wait. But, they were obedient and were waiting. After all, waiting had been their lives. They had waited their whole lives for the Messiah to come. They had waited through those three years of being persecuted alongside Jesus for him to set up his kingdom. And, in Acts 2:1, they were still waiting.
Did they grow impatient? I imagine they did. But still, they obeyed Jesus. They were all together in one place waiting. Then in Acts 2:2, they all heard a sound that was like the blowing of a violent wind. I remember a time in my life when I was in Japan, climbing Mr. Fujiyama, and a typhoon struck the mountain. I've never been in anything more powerful. It was terrifying. Maybe the men and women in that room were terrified too. Did they realize that the words for "wind" and "spirit" are the same in Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew? Did they think, "This is the evidence of the Spirit of God?"
As they were thinking, what they heard was enhanced by what they saw (v. 3). Fire started pouring down from the sky in shapes that looked like tongues. These Jewish men and women in that house knew well that when God had appeared to people in the Old Testament, he came in the form of fire. That's how God had appeared to Abraham in Genesis 15:17 and to Moses at the burning bush and to Ezekiel the prophet. In fact, this was how God appeared on the first Pentecost in Exodus 19:18-19. Back then in the wilderness, God came down in wind and fire veiled with smoke and declared that the Israelites were his people.
But there was something different about God's coming in fire in Acts 2. In the Old Testament, the fire of God had come down and spoken to the leaders. But, look at v. 3. The fire of God that came down separated before their eyes and came to rest on each of them. God was going to come to each of them.
And then it happened in v. 4: "all of them" – yes, all – were filled with God's Spirit and began to speak in other languages as empowered by the Holy Spirit. Remember that this was the time of Pentecost so this was the time when Jewish people, who normally were scattered into every part of the world, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. All those people noticed that something was going on with Jesus' disciples. Each person there heard about God in his or her own heart language. These languages the Spirit-filled disciples spoke were different from the way we usually think about tongues-speaking in our churches. The disciples needed no interpreter. Instead, each person gathered there heard the message of the saving power of God in his/her own heart language. Look at vv. 7-8: Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?" The result was that some were amazed. Others were perplexed. A few made fun of them and said they must be drunk. But all asked, "What does this mean?"
What Does This Mean?
What does this mean is a question we'll see again in Acts. So, as I was working on this sermon, that's the question I was asking. Each Tuesday afternoon, I meet with a group of pastors and colleagues (all younger than I am) to look at the preaching text for the week. I started our time by going over a few things I thought that this supernatural Pentecost event might mean. I pointed out several things that I don't want you to miss:
1. Each one can have a personal experience of God -- not just the professional religious people and not just leaders like Abraham, Moses and Ezekiel – but everyone can know and be indwelt by God.
2. This experience of God begins when we experience God's salvation through faith in Jesus – The first Pentecost celebrated God's salvation from slavery in Egypt. This one celebrates God's salvation made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
3. Each one who has an experience with God through faith in Jesus becomes a witness to that experience – That's what a witness is, i.e., one who gives testimony to what we have experienced personally. The fire of God cam on all. All spoke about God's saving power (v. 11).
4. Each one who has becomes a witness is to bear witness. All spoke – not just Peter. Each one of us has a role to play in carrying the good news of the gospel to our neighborhood and world.
5. When we experience God through faith in Jesus, we become a part of one new community.
As I was speaking about these things in our Tuesday group, Jr. High Pastor Perry Hawkins spoke up and said, "I think many, many people who come to church will stop listening to all the explanation of what this text means and simply ask, "Why have I never had an experience of God like that? I've read about it in the Bible. I've heard the generations older than I am talk about it. How can I have that kind of unmistakable and undeniable experience of God?"
I have not been able to get Perry's comment off my mind. Since he made it, I have had many, many conversations with a lot of people here at LAC and with friends elsewhere. (Don't worry – I won't mention anyone by name.) But, it has seemed to me that each communication I have had this week included people telling me about extraordinarily tough times they or their loved ones are going through. I talked with parents who told me about what seem like impossible struggles their children are going through. I talked with husbands and wives who felt like there is no hope for their marriages. I spoke with one friend who is living day-by-day and moment-by-moment in chronic pain. In each situation, their question – sometimes spoken and sometimes unspoken – was, "Where is God in this, Pastor? How do I have a fresh encounter with God?" Because of that, I knew I had to spend the moments we have together considering that question.
Acts 2 and a Personal Experience of God
There is so much that needs to be said about how we have an experience of the presence and power of God. But, today, I only want to look at what Acts 2 might teach us. I must begin with how we begin to know God. It begins right where it began with these disciples in Acts 2 – by meeting Jesus. To experience God, you must turn from your self-directed and sinful lives, ask for Christ's forgiveness and trust him as your Savior and Lord.
But, having said that, I know that there are many people who say that they have made that faith commitment to Jesus and still long for the kind of experience of God we read about in Acts 2:1-13. What do we learn about from this text?
The Warning and Promise of Pentecost
I ask you today to be open to a strong warning about us. Here it is: Even when things are not about us, we are so creative that we find ways to make it about us anyway.
When you read Acts 1-2, you quickly see that the good news is all about Jesus. Jesus saw our sinfulness and our need and was willing to die to forgive our sins and to give us a new life. And, wonderfully, this new life in Christ is available to all who believe. But, it comes through his life and sacrifice on our behalf. It's about Jesus. And, to reinforce that point, Jesus insisted that even though the disciples had spent time with him and knew he was alive, they had to wait for the Holy Spirit to come before telling about it. It's so clear – Salvation is from God. And, the work of God to bring the message of God is all about God too. Jesus was going to use the disciples but they had to wait for the Spirit before going out into the world. Why? Because this is God's work and is to bring God glory.
But, in a subtle way, we can read this text that is all about God and say, "Why don't I have that?" And we can deceive ourselves into thinking, "If I had that kind of tongue of fire appear on my head, then I would never have any doubts and struggles with my faith." And, it's not a long journey from thinking like that to the point of being where so many people were in Jesus' day, i.e., they loved his miracles but were not willing to surrender to him. Read the Gospel records. Jesus did even more awe-inspiring miracles than what happened in Acts 2 and the people were amazed. But, a few days later, the people only wanted more miracles. Jesus said, "It's a perverse and wicked generation that only longs for signs, wonders and experiences." As Scottish Author George MacDonald wrote, "We are people who are inclined to love the gift more than the Giver of the gift."
So, that's my warning. We soon will see these same people facing hardship in the Book of Acts. When a young man named Stephen was stoned for his faith in Acts 6-8, they would wonder why God allows such difficulty to happen. And we will meet a sorcerer named Simon who came to faith but still wanted experiences and power so much that he was willing to pay money to get it. We must learn to trust God even when we do not see.
But, having said that, the clear promise of Acts 2 is that each one can be filled with the Spirit of God. And, even though there are times in this still incomplete and imperfect world, when we wonder where God is and what he is doing, the Bible is quite clear that when we follow Jesus, we should be able to know his presence and sufficiency in very real ways. Is there anything in this text that helps us to come to grips with how that might play out as we live in this world?
Acts 2 and Our Daily Experience of the Presence and Power of God
I want to leave you with two thoughts about how you might expect to experience the Spirit of God's presence and power in this world. I think that the second will be something you will welcome. But, I imagine that many may resist the first – even discount it altogether. But, I know that both are important. In fact, I'm quite sure the two must go together. So, I'll start with the first and urge you to listen carefully:
#1: The Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost to empower witness. Therefore, we should expect to experience the presence and power of God's Spirit when we give witness to Jesus as the unique resurrected Lord and Savior.
I can imagine some folks thinking, "That sounds like proselytizing, Pastor. What are you calling us to do? Carry signs around at our school that say, 'Turn or burn'? Run out knocking on doors and irritating people like religious sects do?" What does our witness to Christ have to do with our experience of the Holy Spirit?
Let's come back to the Bible right now. In Acts 1, Jesus had said that we will be witnesses in our own neighborhoods and into the entire world but we must wait for the power of the Holy Spirit. That's the main point of Acts 1-2, i.e., that the Holy Spirit came to give us power to be witnesses about Jesus. Then, when the Holy Spirit came, that's exactly what happened. With the power of the Spirit, these now-Spirit-filled disciples were witnesses to people who had come from all over the world. In 2:11. We read that what the people heard, each in their own heart language had to do with "the mighty saving works of God." In Peter's sermon, he said that men and women, young and old would prophesy so that in 2:21, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." So, after receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter gave witness to Jesus and the result was in 2:41, 3,000 people accepted Jesus, were baptized and became a part of the church.
I know that we give witness to people by more than just our words. We will see that often in the Book of Acts. But, just as God created through words, he does his re-creative act in the lives of people when we use our words to testify about him and have him empower them through his Spirit.
For those of you who are not so outspoken and extroverted as others, words can be both spoken and written. When I was a youth pastor, we had a young woman in our group who almost never said anything in our more public settings. You can imagine how surprised we all were when she started bring new believers to the group whom she had influenced through writing letters. In her own way, she courageously used words to tell about Jesus and God used her words.
You know that this past Easter, Pastor Jeff Liou baptized several people he had led to Jesus through his witness. He said that when we give witness to Jesus we often see people come to faith. When that happens, we have no doubt at all about the presence and power of God. I think this is one lesson from Acts 2.
#2: The Holy Spirit was given as people were involved in a community committed to prayer-filled faith and obeying Jesus as they waited. Therefore, we might expect to experience the presence and power of God's Spirit when we are involved in a community of God's people committed to faith, prayer and obedience to Jesus.
When you are feeling God is far away, where do you find others to hold us up in prayer? When you don't know the Bible well enough to answer the questions people ask when you give witness, where do you learn the Scriptures? When everyone else thinks you're crazy because you want to obey Jesus and God's Word, where do you find others who will walk with you? When all week, you've been dragged down by the things the rest of the world values and you think their influence is greater than God's, with whom do you look up and remember that God is God, that God forgives, and that God never gives up on you? The answer to all these and so many other questions is – "The church that was launched at Pentecost in Acts 2."
Just note these things: It was a group of Jesus-followers waiting in a house together in obedience to Jesus who first experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit. They were together with other believers and they were waiting in obedience to Jesus. We need times like that too.
Note also that what was formed was a community of people who otherwise were divided in countless ways. Luke is very specific about the diversity of people who were in Jerusalem in vv. 5-11, Egyptians, Asians, Libyans, Arabs, Jews and non-Jews. It's not unlike Los Angeles. In our divided world, people do not expect to see one family made up of Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, all skin colors and all ages. Only God can bring about that kind of unity in our fragmented and divided world. But we see in Acts 2:5 that people from every nation under heaven together heard the message of God and heard it in their own language through a group of Galileans. Galileans were known to have a very strong accent – almost impossible for others to understand. No one would have expected Galileans to be the ones making God's good news plain to others. But all people at Pentecost heard in their mother-language and were among those who came into the church that day.
Think about what this means: The language division among people had happened, according to Genesis 11, when people had sinned and become arrogant against God. Now, here, we see that the Spirit of God is beginning to reverse the affects of human sin. That's what is to happen in the church: The awful affects of sin in our world and in our lives should begin to be reversed. We should experience the power of God to undo the affects of sin in our lives in the community of the church. This happens when the church is what the Bible says a church is supposed to be, i.e., a place we enter through repentance and faith in Jesus, a people united by the shared experience of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and a community together being committed to prayer and obedience to Christ.
When we meet together with God's people, we should expect in that place that we will experience God together as we pray, worship and serve alongside others committed to Jesus. And that's what we long to be here at LAC. We meet together in this service to sing, pray, and hear God's Word with one another. We are setting aside time on Sunday evenings to come together in a less rushed time simply for worship and prayer. And I believe that as we continue to do this with one another in a fellowship as diverse ethnically and generationally as ours is, we will indeed experience the presence and power of the Spirit of God.
And that leads me to how I want you to respond today....
To His glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
title="Chinese
受聖靈大能的派遣
4/21/2013使徒行傳 2:1-13
大家都期待的重要日子碰巧是在五旬節。五旬節是以色列人慶祝自己國家誕生的日子。但是這個五旬節是在耶穌升天七個星期以後,因此有些特別。它不僅是慶祝國家誕生,也是慶祝整個新子民的誕生,就是神的子民的誕生。從這一天開始,神不僅作為可見的獨一神普遍存在和運行在世界中——祂還將通過聖靈進入個體生命中。我們來看《使徒行傳》1-2章。 我希望你們假設正和門徒們待在一起,就像《使徒行傳》2章開頭那樣。他們待在屋子裏,可能就在當初與耶穌一起享用最後晚餐的那個房間。僅僅一個星期前,耶穌告訴他們,他們會在一場運動中,成為祂救恩與復活大能的見證人,而這場運動將會“延伸到地極”(1:8)。但是祂也命令他們,在出發到世界做見證之前,要一起等待聖靈降臨。對於他們當中的某些人,這種等待是不容易的。畢竟,他們不久前還和耶穌在一起——祂死了,但是復活了。我相信他們當中的一些人想馬上離開這個房間。考慮一下性格因素。我認為等待對於魯莽的彼得和被成為“雷子”的雅各和約翰來說就不容易。但是,他們很順服,他們等了一星期。他們用了一生來等待彌賽亞的到來。他們在過去的三年中,與耶穌一起為了祂的國而遭受逼迫。在《使徒行傳》2:1,他們仍在等。 他們會不會不耐煩了?我想是的。但是,他們仍舊遵守耶穌的命令。他們一起在一個地方等。在第2節,他們都聽見了一個聲音,就像一陣狂風吹過。我記得有一次在日本,我攀登富士山,一陣臺風吹來。我們從未經歷過如此猛烈的狂風。這風非常可怕。可能那個房間裏的男人、女人也很害怕。不知他們是否意識到,在亞蘭文、希臘文和希伯來文中“風”和“靈”是一個詞?他們是否在想,“這是神的靈的跡象?” 他們在想的時候,他們所聽到的被所看到的強化了(v. 3)。火開始從天上澆灌下來,形狀好像舌頭。房間裏的猶太男人和女人清楚知道,在舊約中,神以火的形式向人們顯現。比如在《創世記》15:17中神向亞伯拉罕顯現,在燃燒的荊棘中向摩西顯現,以及向先知以西結顯現。實際上,在《出埃及記》19:18-19中,神在第一個五旬節也是如此顯現的。那時,神在風和冒煙的火中向以色列人顯現,表明以色列人是祂的子民。 但是,神在《使徒行傳》2章中從火中降臨卻有些不同。在舊約,神的火降下來並且向領袖說話。而在第3節中,神的火在他們眼前分別降在每個人身上。神進到每個人裏面。 在第4節,他們中所有人——是的,所有人——都被神的靈充滿,被聖靈感動開始講方言。請記住,這是五旬節,是猶太人從四面八方來耶路撒冷朝聖的日子。發生在門徒當中的這件事非常引人註目,很明顯是讓在場的所有人看的。門徒被聖靈充滿後所講的這些語言,與我們所認為的日常在教會裏的講話方式不同。使徒們不需要翻譯。而在場的每個人,都從內心聽到了神的拯救大能的信息。請看7-8節:(眾人)都驚訝希奇說:“看哪,這說話的不都是加利利人嗎?我們各人,怎麼聽見他們說我們生來所用的鄉談呢?”結果是一些人驚奇,其他人困惑,有幾個人嘲笑他們,說他們是酒喝多了。但是所有人都問,“這是什麽意思呢?”
這是什麽意思? “這是什麽意思”這個問題我們會在《使徒行傳》中再次看到。當我在預備這篇講章時,這也是我的問題。每個星期二的下午,我會和一群牧師和同工見面(他們都比我年輕),我們來看這周要講的經文。開始時,我們回顧了一些事,我認為這些事是與五旬節的超自然事件相關的。我把其中我認為大家不應錯過的幾件事提出來: 1. 每個人都可以經歷神——不只是有經驗的宗教人士和領袖,比如亞伯拉罕、摩西和以西結——而是每個人都能了解和被神內住。 2. 當我們憑著在基督裏的信心經歷神的救恩時,這種經歷神的過程就開始了——第一個五旬節是慶祝被神從埃及為奴之地拯救出來。這一個則是慶祝神通過耶穌死而復活所賜的救恩。 3. 每個通過在耶穌裏的信心而經歷神的救恩的人,就成為那種經歷的見證人——那個見證人,就是要為我們個人所經歷的做見證。神的火是降在所有人身上。所有人都該談論神救恩的大能(v. 11)。 4. 每個成為見證人的人都該做見證——所有人都在講,不只是彼得。我們每個人在向鄰舍和世界傳播福音的過程中都有一個角色要扮演。 5. 當我們通過在耶穌裏的信心經歷神的時候,我們就成為一個新團體的一部分——五旬節上的這些人是彼此相隔的,就像我們今天的世界一樣。而一旦語言和文化的障礙被拆除時,聯合就開始了。下個星期,我們將從14節彼得的講章開始讀起。那一部分是有關性別障礙,就是“兒子和女兒”將會說預言;代溝也將被拆除,就是“少年人和老年人”將做異夢。 當我星期二在小組裏講這些事的時候,初中部的Perry Hawkins牧師大聲說,“我想很多人來教會不是為了聽聽它的意思是什麽然後簡單地問一下——為什麽我從來沒有像那樣經歷神?我讀過這部分聖經,我聽過同時代的很多人談論過它。但我怎麽做才能有那種無誤的、確定無疑的經歷呢?”
Perry的意見在我的腦海中揮之不去。聽他說完這個,我就和教會裏很多人交談。(別擔心——我不會提到任何人的名字。)但在交談中我發現,他們或者他們的親人正在經歷超長的困難。我和許多父母交談,他們告訴我,他們的孩子正在經歷一些難以忍受的掙紮。我和一些夫妻交談,他們感到自己的婚姻無法再繼續。我和一些朋友交談,他們天天都要受慢性病的折磨。在各種情形中,他們的問題——他們有時說,有時不說——“現在神在哪裏?我如何才能再次經歷神?”因此,我就知道了我必須花時間思考這個問題。
《使徒行傳》第2章以及對神的親身經歷 其實,在經歷的神的同在和大能這件事上,沒有太多要講的。但今天,我只想看看《使徒行傳》第2章教導我們什麽。我會從我們如何明白神開始講起。當被問到“這是什麽意思?”時,彼得站起來告訴了大家。我們下個星期會看看他說了些什麽。但是,最後,他呼召每一個人;1)要信耶穌,2)要認罪悔改,3)為了罪得赦免,要奉耶穌基督的名受洗。當我們這樣做,聖經應許我們將會得到聖靈的恩賜。在39節中,彼得宣稱這對每個人都是真的,無論年齡,也無論是猶太人還是外邦人。因此,我也告訴你,要想經歷神,你必須離開那種自我導向、有罪的生活,接受基督的赦免,轉向耶穌,把祂作為你唯一的救主——就像我們受洗時,在眾人面前所做的那樣。 但是,我說過以後,我知道許多人會說,他們已經向基督委身,並且一直希望經歷神,就像我們在《使徒行傳》2:1-13中讀到的那樣。我們從經文中可以學到什麽?
五旬节的警告和應許 這是對我們生命的一個嚴重警告,我請大家用一個開發的心來聽。就是:儘管救恩不是出於我們,人還是極有創意要將功勞歸給人。 你看使徒行傳1-2章,很快會發現福音完全來自耶穌。耶穌看見人的罪和需要,並且願意赦免人的罪,賜給人新生命。奇妙的是,在基督裡的新生命是給予所有相信的人。但這一生命的禮物來自耶穌的生命和為我們付出的犧牲。都因著耶穌。為了特別強調這一點,雖然門徒們已經經歷祂的復活並且於耶穌相處過,耶穌堅持要他們等候聖靈的降臨,然後才能出去向人傳說-很清楚-救恩來自神。神的工作帶來神的信息都是關乎神的。耶穌要使用門徒,但是在他們走出進入世界之前,他們必須等候聖靈。 為什麼?因為神的工作乃是帶給神榮耀。 但是,很微妙的,你看經文,人儘管知道這一切都關乎神,還是要問,"這個我為什麼沒有得?" 人詭詐變相地思維,"如果我也有那樣的舌頭和頭上的火焰,永遠都不會在信心上有疑問和掙扎。"這樣的思維不需要太久,就會到這麼一個境地,你發現耶穌時代的許多人喜歡祂的神蹟,但是並不願意降服與祂。你來讀福音書的記載,耶穌甚至行了比使徒行傳更驚心動魄的神蹟,人們驚詫不已。但是幾天後,人只想要更多的神蹟。耶穌說,"一個邪惡淫亂的世代求神蹟,異象和奇事" 如同蘇格蘭作者 喬治麥當勞 寫的,"我們人類的性向是喜愛得到賜物,不喜愛賜物的主。" 所以這是我的警告。我們很快看見在使徒行傳裡同樣面對艱難的人。一個年輕人叫司提反,在使徒行傳6-8中因為他的信仰被石頭給砸死。他們就詫異為什麼神允許這樣的難事發生。然後看見一個叫做西門的巫師也信了,但還是渴望神蹟異能,希望用錢來買神的恩賜。我們應當學習即使在看不見祂的時候也心裡信靠祂。 明白了前面所說的,使徒行傳2章中清楚地應許我們每個人都可以被聖靈充滿。甚至在這個不完整,不完美的世界中,我們有時候不明白神的作為和祂的同在,但是聖經很清楚地告訴我們跟隨耶穌的,我們能夠知道祂的同在和非常實際的供應。在這幾節的經文中,有沒有什麼可以幫助我們來把握,生活在這個世界神的同在和供應對我們的影響?
使徒行傳2章和我們每日經歷神的同在和大能 我今天留給大家兩條思路,有關你可以預見神的聖靈在這個世界中的同在和能力。我想你們會很樂意接受前者。我想像更多的人會很抵抗後者-或是乾脆一同打折扣。但是我知道兩者都很重要。事實上,我更確信兩者相輔相成。所以,我從前者開始,並呼籲大家細心聽:
#1: 五旬节降下的聖靈充滿見證人。因此,我們可以期待神的同在和聖靈的大能的經歷,叫我們可以見證耶穌是獨特的復活主和人類的救主。 我可以想像有些人可能會想,"牧師啊,這聽來像勸人信教。你叫我們做什麼?在學校裡打個牌子說:"不悔改,下地獄"?像些 宗教狂熱分子跑到人家裡游說讓人煩? 見證基督到底和聖靈的經歷有什麼關係? 讓我現在再回到聖經。再使徒行傳一章,耶穌說我們要在我們的鄰舍直到地極為祂做見證,但是我們一定要等候祂的聖靈的能力。這是使徒行傳1-2章的要點。聖靈給我們能力來見證耶穌。聖靈降臨的時候,事情果真如此發生。人人聽見自己熟悉的母語,聖經2:21 形容說"神的大作為"。彼得講道:"凡求告主名的,就必得救。"因此接受聖靈後,彼得有能力見證耶穌,結果當天,三千人接受耶穌( 2:41),受了洗,成為教會的一部分。 我知道人見證基督不只是話語的見證,在使徒行傳書卷中都看到。但是神用話語創造世界,所以我們用話語來見證祂的時候,並透過祂的聖靈的能力,神在祂的子民身上做重新創造的工作。 對於你們言語不多,和其他人一樣內向的人,話語可以是說也可以寫。我還是一個年輕的牧師時,我們小組有個年輕的姊妹,在公眾場所幾乎一句話也沒有。你可以想像我們有多麼驚訝, 她帶好多的人到小組來,都是通過她寫信受影響的。用她自己的方式,她滿有勇氣用話語來講述耶穌的故事,神也使用她的話語。 你們知道,在剛剛過去的複活節,Jeff Liou牧師為幾位施洗,這些人都是通过他的见证被帶到耶穌面前。他說,當我們為耶穌做見證時,就常常看見人信主。看見這些事的發生,我們毫无無疑乃是出於神的同在和能力。我認為這就是從使徒行傳第二章裡學的一課。
#2: 當我們作為一個團體共同委身於滿有信心的禱告並順服地等待時,聖靈就會降臨。因此,當我們與神的子民一起委身於信心,禱告、並順服於耶穌時,我們就可以期待經歷神的同在及其大能。 當我們感到遠離神的時候,到哪裡去找人將自己託在禱告中?當我們做見證時,由於對聖經的了解不多,無法回答別人的問題時,我們到哪裡去學習聖經?當我們因為要順服耶穌及神的話語,被周遭嘲弄以為我們'瘋了'的時候,到哪裡找人來與自己同行天路?在整個週間,當日常事務及世俗的價值觀將我們往下拖、當我們感到它們的影響無所不在,甚至大過神的影響時,我們可以找誰來共同仰望神(共同守望),並記念我們的 神就是神,神饒恕我們,神從未放棄過我們的事實?對所有這些問題,以及其它的許多問題的答案是——“使徒行傳第二章,五旬節間開始的教會”。 只要注意:那是一小群跟隨耶穌的人,為了順服耶穌,他們在一所房子裡等待、是最先經歷了聖靈的充滿的一群人。他們總是與其他信主的人們一起,等待、並順服耶穌。我們也需要這樣的時刻。 也當牢記的是,教會是一個由許多人們組成的團契。若非教會,人們可以被分成無數種類別。 (教會就是由無數種人們構成的團契。)在5-11節,路加特別提到在耶路撒冷的人們有多麼的不同:埃及人、呂彼亞人,亞拉伯人,猶太人及非猶太人。就像洛杉磯。在彼此隔離的世界,一個家庭中同時出現猶太人和外邦人,窮人與富人,各種膚色的人們及各個年齡的人們,這種情況並不常見。只有神可能給這個破碎又分裂的世界帶來和諧與統一。但是,讓我們來看發生在使徒行傳2:5的奇蹟:天下各國來朝的人們共同聆聽神的信息,並且由一群加利利人用各國人的母語向他們傳達。加利利人是以口音著稱的—— 別人幾乎無法聽懂他們。沒人可以料想到加利利人可以成為這樣的人選:將神國的福音清楚表白給眾人。但是,在五旬節那天來到教會的人們甚至聽到了自己的母語,其中許多人當天成為教會的一員。 想像一下這意味著什麼:按照創世紀第11章所記,當人們犯罪並自大、違背神的時候,出現了語言的隔閡。現在,我們看見聖靈開始扭轉人類罪性的後果。這也是教會中要發生的事:當下世界的罪性在我們生命中產生的可怕惡果竟然開始被扭轉。在教會這個團契中,我們應該期待神的大能消除罪性在我們生命中(造成)的苦果。當教會按照聖經教導,成為一個人們開始悔改、進而對耶穌產生信心的地方,成為一個共同分享聖靈同在的經歷的群體,成為一個委身於禱告並順服於基督的團契。 。 。這時,逆轉就開始了。 在教會,當我們與神的子民一起,當我們一同禱告、一同敬拜、一同事奉周遭的人們、一同委身於耶穌,我們一同經歷神。這就是我們來LAC的期待。我們在聚會唱詩、禱告及聆聽神的話語時相聚彼此。我們騰出下週日晚上的時間,更從容地一同敬拜及禱告。儘管我們來自不同民族、不同年齡,我堅信當我們堅持在團契中共同禱告、敬拜、事奉、委身,我們就能真正經歷神的同在與大能。 因此下面我请大家回应今天的信息。。。
榮耀歸給神,
格雷格博士
主任牧師
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2012, Lake Avenue Church
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2013, Lake Avenue Church
Study Guide
Sent with the Spirit of God - Week 3 - Study Guide
Sent with the Spirit of God
Acts 2:1–13
Within Mark 8:27–10:45, Jesus both called and taught people to follow him. This has often been called “the discipleship section” of Mark’s gospel. At the beginning and end of his teaching, Jesus healed two blind men.
- Imagine being with the group in Acts 2:1–2. Describe what you would have felt as you were waiting in obedience to Jesus’ command in Acts 1:4–5.
- The first “Pentecost,” taking place 50 days after Israel was rescued from Egypt, was celebrated as the birthday of the nation of Israel. Read how it was described in Exodus 19:17–19. Compare that with Acts 2:2–4. In what ways might this be a new “birthday”?
- In Exodus 19, only Moses came into contact with the fire of God. What is different about Acts 2:3–4?
- In Genesis 11, the world had once had one language. The effect of human arrogance led to God’s confusing people with different languages. Rabbis taught that Messiah would reverse the impact of Babel so that people could be one again. With that in mind, describe what happened in Acts 2:5–12. What does this teach us about what the church is to be?
- Go back and reflect on Jesus’ commanding the people to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Was this a poor stewardship of time? Would we tend to criticize them for waiting? What do we learn about active waiting on the Lord?
- What is the main lesson you hope to apply to your life from Acts 2:1–13?
2013 Study Series • Copyright © 2013, Lake Avenue Church